Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Purchases Shares of 2,098,221 Leslie's, Inc. $LESL

Key Points

• Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased 2,098,221 shares of Leslie's, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL), valued at approximately $1,543,000, during the first quarter, increasing its stake to about 1.13%.
• Several hedge funds have adjusted their positions in Leslie's, with notable increases from Price T Rowe Associates and Northern Trust Corp, reflecting growing institutional interest.
• Leslie's currently has an average target price of $1.60 and a rating of "Reduce" from analysts, indicating a cautious outlook on the stock's future performance.

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Leslie's, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 2,098,221 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,543,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned about 1.13% of Leslie's as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LESL. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of Leslie's by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 112,796 shares of the company's stock valued at $252,000 after purchasing an additional 11,025 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Leslie's by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,092,559 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,666,000 after acquiring an additional 7,417 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new position in shares of Leslie's in the 4th quarter valued at $2,774,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Leslie's in the 4th quarter valued at $365,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in shares of Leslie's by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 188,312 shares of the company's stock valued at $420,000 after acquiring an additional 9,459 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on LESL shares. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Leslie's from $3.00 to $1.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Leslie's to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $0.35 target price on shares of Leslie's in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Leslie's presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $1.60.

Leslie's Price Performance

Leslie's stock opened at $0.33 on Thursday. Leslie's, Inc. has a 12-month low of $0.27 and a 12-month high of $3.63. The company has a market capitalization of $61.99 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.74 and a beta of 1.27. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $0.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $0.61.

About Leslie's

Leslie's, Inc operates as a direct-to-consumer pool and spa care brand in the United States. The company markets and sells pool and spa supplies and related products and services. It also offers various pool and spa maintenance items, such as chemicals, equipment and parts, cleaning and maintenance equipment, safety, recreational, and fitness related products.

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